The most played games in the 1980s include some very familiar titles and some that most people will not remember. For all of you gamers out there playing “Dead Red Redemption” or “Call of Duty” this list will serve to remind you that your favorite games did not just pop up out of thin air, but are the result of years of gaming and gaming research. The top 80s arcade games were the primitive precursors to today’s technologically advanced digital games which can even be played by many people at once across the internet. These games may seem prehistoric by today’s graphic resolution and imagery standards but many, myself included, will argue that the 80s arcade games were more fun to play.

We need to start with the mama and papa of them all, Pac Man and the subsequently improved Ms. Pac Man. Pac Man wowed fans of 80s arcade games with its intricate game play and ever increasing speed as you advanced through levels. For the two or three people left on earth that have never seen or played Pac Man, the game is basically a two dimensional maze that you have to navigate through with your player, the aforementioned Pac Man. Ghostly figures, appropriately called “ghosts”, chase you and try to kill you. If they touch you then you disintegrate and the game is over, or at least your playing piece is dead. You are allotted several players at each level. The point of the game is to reach the glowing spheres which you gobble up and that gives your little blue Pac Man extra power which enables him to eat the ghosts. Sounds silly when you dissect it but man is it fun. Ms. Pac Man came out about a year later and it was even better and faster than the original.

Another of the great 80s arcade games is Centipede. This game can still be found in the retro corner of most major arcades or at the seediest bars you can find in any given neighborhood. Centipede play is still a blast and you can actually play some souped up versions of the classic on X-Box and Playstation. It is difficult to describe Centipede but suffice to say that it involves a long and winding centipede coming down the screen very quickly while you try and shoot it from below. Mushrooms block the way and as the centipede gets closer to the bottom of the screen it becomes super fast and much more difficult to kill.

One of my favorite all time 80s arcade games is Galaga. It is difficult to find the original Galaga anymore, though I believe there is a version of it available for X-Box and/or Playstation. Galaga was an advanced version of the primitive but addictive Space Invaders of the 70s and featured great graphics, squadrons of alien spaceships, and different levels of guns that you could use to kill the alien hordes from deep space. A wonderful game that has yet to be equaled despite techy advances to gaming, which proves the point that games do not need to be super graphic in order to be great.